Preview:Young Boys vs Slovan Bratislava - prediction, team news, lineups

In the driving seat of this Europa League qualification playoff tie, Young Boys welcome Slovan Bratislava to Wankdorf Stadium on Thursday with their sights set on sealing passage to the competition proper.

The Swiss giants carry a slender one-goal cushion into this contest after grinding out a hard-fought victory in the opening fixture in Slovakia last week.

Match preview

Chris Bedia’s strike in the 15th minute proved decisive in Bratislava for Young Boys, who showed real attacking intent by registering three shots on target, one more than their hosts.

That result suggests the Bern outfit are beginning to find their rhythm again, having shaken off a three-match winless run (D2, L1) with an emphatic triumph over lower-tier side Courteletelle in the Swiss Cup beforehand.

With momentum on their side and a narrow lead in the bag, Giorgio Contini’s men will look to press home their advantage on Thursday in pursuit of a place in the group stage of a European competition for the third year running, having reached the Champions League draw in the previous two seasons.

Young Boys also bring a solid home record into this clash, with no defeats in 11 competitive matches at Wankdorf (W9), although caution is needed given their last setback at the ground came on the continental stage in a 1-0 reverse against Crvena Zvezda last term

That said, the Bern club did not feature in the Swiss top flight at the weekend, having already played their matchday four encounter with Basel on August 6, which means they step into this tie with fresher legs.

Slovan, by contrast, travel with less time for recovery and without much momentum, having been forced to settle for a 1-1 draw away to Michalovce in Sunday’s top-flight outing.

That stalemate means Belasi are still searching for their first away victory of the campaign, failing to win any of their four trips in all competitions so far, two of which have come on the European stage.

Vladimir Weiss’s men played out a 2-2 draw at Zrinjski, but the Sky Blues’s emphatic victory at home was enough to edge them into the third qualifying round of the Champions League, where a 1-0 win in the return leg against Kairat only forced penalties, which the Slovaks lost before dropping into this phase of the Europa League.

Coming up against a Young Boys side they have never managed to beat was already a tall order, and last week’s setback means Slovan have now lost four of the last five encounters between the teams.

Belasí must now battle against an unfavourable head-to-head record if they are to keep alive their hopes of reaching the continental draw for a second successive season after last year’s run in the Champions League qualifiers.

Young Boys Europa League form:

Young Boys form (all competitions):

Slovan Bratislava Europa League form:

Slovan Bratislava form (all competitions):

Team News

With Christian Fassnacht and Facinet Conte still sidelined, Bedia is almost certain to lead the line again for the hosts after his decisive display in Bratislava, though it remains uncertain whether Joel Monteiro will continue alongside him or if Contini will instead turn to Ebrima Colley.

Other absentees include teenage defenders Mats Seiler and Rhodri Smith, who are continuing their recoveries from injury.

For Slovan, Sandro Cruz is the only major concern, but the left-back will need to go through a late fitness test to determine his availability.

Robert Mak could be handed a start after opening the scoring for Slovan in the league on Sunday, while David Strelec is also expected to return to the XI after featuring from the bench in that match.

Young Boys possible starting lineup:

Keller; Athekame, Wuthrich, Benito, Hadjam; Males, Fernandes, Raveloson, Monteiro; Colley, Bedia

Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:

Takac; Blackman, Kashia, Wimmer, Pokorny; Bajric, Tolic; Barseghyan, Weiss, Mak; Strelec

We say: Young Boys 2-1 Slovan Bratislava

Last week’s win underlined Young Boys’ superiority in this fixture, and with fresher legs and the home crowd behind them in Bern, the hosts are tipped to complete the job in style.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.